The whole of Salem was stunned when Rachel DiMera – once a lovely, innocent girl – confessed to shooting EJ.

But what chilled the audience even more was the reason behind it: “I did it because of my mother.”

The shooting took place at the DiMera family’s party, amidst a heated argument between Kristen and EJ.

The gunshots rang out, and everyone thought it was a mafia member or an old enemy, but it turned out to be a child only in her teens, trembling behind a curtain.

When the police asked why, Rachel only replied coldly: “He threatened to send my mother to jail.”

Rachel’s story exposes a heartbreaking reality – she grew up amidst revenge, lies, and the turmoil of the DiMera and Black families. Kristen raised her child in fear of losing her, Brady was too rigid, and the result was a child who didn’t know right from wrong – only knowing how to do anything to keep the one she loved.

When detained, Rachel didn’t cry, only asking, “If I’m locked up, who will be there for you, Mom?” – a question that chilled the viewers. Finally, thanks to Belle and Melinda’s intervention, she was transferred to psychological treatment instead of prosecution, opening up a new storyline: could Rachel heal the wounds inflicted by the previous generation?

The episode ends with Rachel sitting before her therapist, her eyes lost, both childlike and aged. Salem has created a new “mini-DiMera” – and perhaps, the real nightmare has only just begun.